James H. Westwood

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Associate Professor

401 Latham Hall (0390)
Blacksburg, VA 24061

Phone: (540) 231-7519
Fax: (540) 231-3347
E-Mail: westwood at vt.edu

Education | Research Interests| Research Support | Experience | Selected Publications

Education

  • Ph.D. Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN.
  • M.S. University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN.
  • B.A. Concordia College, Moorhead, MN.

Research Interests

I am interested in the biology and control of weeds, with a specific interest in the area of parasitic weeds. My research focuses on broomrapes (Orobanche spp.) and dodders (Cuscuta spp.), both of which are obligate parasites of crops and pose serious threats to agriculture in the US and around the world. The life cycles of these weeds incorporate several intriguing adaptations for parasitism, including a complex system of communication between parasite and host. Research projects include molecular-level characterization of host response to parasitization, development of model systems for parasitic weed biology, transfer of macromolecules among hosts and parasites, and strategies to enhance host resistance to parasitic weeds. I have additional interests in international agriculture, invasive weeds and herbicide resistance.

Selected Research Support

  • NSF (Integrative Organismal Systems) - Current
  • NSF (Plant Genome) - Current
  • USAID Integrated Pest Management CRSP - Current
  • BARD (US-Israel Binational Fund)
  • BSF (US-Israel Binational Science Foundation)
  • Jeffress Memorial Trust
  • USDA

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Experience

  • Associate Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology and Weed Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 2005 to present.
  • Assistant Professor (same), 1999 to 2005.
  • Research Scientist (same), 1997 to 1998.
  • Research Associate (same), 1994 to 1996.
  • Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Horticulture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 1989 to 1994.
  • Agricultural Extension Agent, (US Peace Corps) Mauritanian National Rural Development Society, Dar Es Salaam, Mauritania, 1986 to 1988.
  • Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 1982 to 1985.
  • Laboratory Technician, A.R.S./U.S.D.A. Metabolism and Radiation Research Laboratory, Fargo, ND, 1981 to 1982.

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Selected Publications

  1. Westwood, J. H., C. W. dePamphilis, M. Das, M. Fernandez-Aparicio, L. Honaas, M. P. Timko, N. Wickett and J. I. Yoder. 2012. The parasitic plant genome project: new tools for understanding the biology of Orobanche and Striga. Weed Science, In Press. Online ahead of print at: http://wssajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1614/WS-D-11-00113.1.
  2. Joel, D. M., H. Bar, A. M. Mayer, D. Plakhine, H. Ziadne, J. H. Westwood and G. E. Welbaum. 2012. Seed ultrastructure and water absorption pathway of the root-parasitic plant Phelipanche aegyptiaca (Orobanchaceae). Annals of Botany 109:181-195 http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2011/10/23/aob.mcr261.abstract.
  3. Wickett, N. J., L. A. Honaas, E. K. Wafula, M. Das, K. Huang, B. Wu, L. Landherr, M. P. Timko, J. Yoder, J. H. Westwood and C. W. dePamphilis. 2011. Expression of the chlorophyll synthesis pathway in a non-photosynthetic plant revealed by the transcriptomes of above ground structures from three parasitic plants from the family Orobanchaceae. Current Biology 21:2098-2104. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982211012607.
  4. Fernández-Aparicio, M., J. H. Westwood and D. Rubiales. 2011. Agronomic, breeding and biotechnological approaches for parasitic plant management by manipulating strigolactone levels in agricultural soils. Botany 89:813-826. http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/b11-075.
  5. Fernández-Aparicio, M., D. Rubiales, P.C.G. Bandaranayake, J. I. Yoder and J. H. Westwood. 2011. Transformation and regeneration of the holoparasitic plant Phelipanche aegyptiaca. Plant Methods 7:36. http://www.plantmethods.com/content/7/1/36.
  6. Aly, R., N. Hamamouch, J. Abu-Nassar, S. Wolf, D. M. Joel, H. Eizenberg, E. Kaisler, C. Cramer, A. Gal-On and J. H. Westwood. 2011. Movement of protein and macromolecules between host plants and the parasitic weed Phelipanche aegyptiaca Pers. Plant Cell Reports 30:2233-2241. http://www.springerlink.com/content/5564134523m6n44p/.
  7. Westwood, J.H., J. I Yoder, M. P. Timko and C. W. dePamphilis. 2010. The evolution of parasitism in plants. Trends in Plant Science 15:227-235. http://www.cell.com/trends/plant-science/abstract/S1360-1385%2810%2900007-5?switch=standard.
  8. Stewart Jr, C. N., Tranel, P. J., Horvath, D. P., Anderson, J. V., Rieseberg, L. H., Westwood, J. H., Mallory-Smith, C. A., Zapiola, M. L. and Dlugosch, K. M. 2009. Evolution of Weediness and Invasiveness: Charting the Course for Weed Genomics. Weed Science 57: 451-462. http://dx.doi.org/10.1614/WS-09-011.1.
  9. Westwood J. H., J. K. Roney, P. A. Khatibi, and V. K. Stromberg. 2009. RNA translocation between parasitic plants and their hosts. Pest Management Science 65: 533-539. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ps.1727.
  10. Daniel K. Owens, Anne B. Alerding, Kevin C. Crosby, Abey Bandara, James H. Westwood, and Brenda S.J. Winkel. 2008. Functional analysis of a predicted flavonol synthase gene family in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Physiology 147:1046-1061. http://www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/content/abstract/147/3/1046.
  11. Denev, I. B. Deneva, R. Buchvarova, and J. Westwood. 2007. Use of T-DNA activation tag Arabidopsis mutants in studying formation of germination stimulants for broomrapes (Orobanche spp.). Biotechnology and Biotechnological Equipment 21(4):267-271.
  12. Roney, J. K., P. A. Khatibi, and J. H. Westwood. 2007. Cross-species translocation of mRNA from host plants into the parasitic plant dodder. Plant Physiology. 143:1037-1043. http://www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/reprint/143/2/1037.
  13. Whaley, C. M., H. P. Wilson, and J. H. Westwood. 2007. A new mutation in plant ALS confers resistance to five classes of ALS-inhibiting herbicides. Weed Science 55:83-90.
  14. Joel, D.M., Bar, H., Mayer, A.M., Verdoucq, V., Welbaum, G. and Westwood, J. 2006. Chapter 31. Characterization of a dioxygenase gene with a potential role in steps leading to germination of the root parasite Orobanche aegyptiaca. In: Navie, S., Adkins, S. and Ashmore, S. (eds.) Seeds: Biology, Development and Ecology. Wallingford, UK: CAB International, pp. 296-305.
  15. Whaley, C. M., H. P. Wilson, and J. H. Westwood. 2006. ALS Resistance in several smooth pigweed (Amaranthus hybridus) biotypes. Weed Science. 54:828-832.
  16. Dembélé B., D. Dembélé and J. Westwood. 2005. Herbicide seed treatments for control of purple witchweed (Striga hermonthica) in sorghum and millet. Weed Technol. 19:629-635.
  17. Hamamouch, N., J. H. Westwood, I. Banner, C. L. Cramer, S. Gepstein, and R. Aly. 2005. A peptide from insects protects transgenic tobacco from a parasitic weed. Transgenic Research 14:227-236.
  18. Westwood, J. H. 2004. Parasitic weeds. Pages 864-867 In: R.M. Goodman, ed., Encyclopedia of Plant and Crop Science. Marcel Dekker, New York . 1300 pages. http://www.dekker.com/servlet/product/productid/E-EPCS.
  19. Griffitts, A. A., C. L. Cramer, and J. H. Westwood. 2004. Host gene expression in response to Egyptian broomrape (Orobanche aegyptiaca). Weed Science, 52:697-703.
  20. Goldwasser, Y., J. H. Westwood, and J. I. Yoder. April 4, 2002. The use of Arabidopsis to study interactions between parasitic angiosperms and their plant hosts. In: C.R. Somerville and E.M. Meyerowitz, eds., The Arabidopsis Book. American Society of Plant Biologists, Rockville, MD , doi/10.1199/tab.0035, http://www.aspb.org/publications/arabidopsis/.
  21. Westwood, J. H. 2000. Characterization of the Orobanche-Arabidopsis system for studying parasite-host interactions. Weed Science 48:742-748.

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